UK Membership distribution
 

As there's been some discussion of where the members are in another thread, there's now a webpage that will give you the currrent info :

Membership count by region



There's been a few comments on north/South divide (when isn't there any comment ? :) ) and I just like to put forward my observations.
I spent the first 20 years of my life in Essex and consequently had no idea of what people were on about with a North/South divide. As a southerner you don't experience it unless someone else mentions it.
I then moved to Yorkshire for 9 years and only then did I become aware of the divide. It's little things like the BBC presenters always giving a southern focus to events, the weather reports classifying anything north of Birmingham as 'the North' (what do you classify Cumbria as then? ) and as you drive up the M1 you see signs indicating 'The North'. How many signs do you see saying 'The south' ?
It's all these little things that antagonise, and then you see major events all being based around London with the occasional 'northern event' at the NEC area !!

And what about a new olympic stadium being built just a few miles away from a new Wembly stadium - does London really need two large stadiums/ Wouldn't it have fairer to the UK population to at least have the new stadium further north ? What happens to the new stadium after the 2012 olympics - does London have enough events to utilise both stadiums or will one fall into disrepair like the dome?

As I said at the beginning, if you've never experienced it, it's because you haven't lived north of Birmingham. Personally I think things have become more even than they were say 20 years ago - more events being held in Manchester for example. However I don't think the divide will ever totally disappear - it's a simple truism that the majority of people live south of Birmingham so if you put on an event that needs to attract a large number of people, you organise it near those people. However much you dislike it, it isn't going to change until more people live in the northern counties, and that won't happen until there are more jobs available in those counties which means employers have to set up base there. but that won't happen too quickly because employers see there is more population to work with in the southern counties - it's a circular dependancy.

Just my 2p worth - I'm sure there will be others :sing:

Eamonn, there appears to be 25 members in no-man's land.

Who are they, the untouchables, MT, outcasts - Weeksy, Vman etc?

... or are these stateless people, not quite North or South, i.e. Milton Keynes?

I think we should be told.

:puzzled::puzzled: :P

I'm guessing thats East Anglia,some strange coves there,..;)
No one can hear you scream in the fens!:lol:

Ahhhh .. the flatlands - to low to be counted :lol:

:(:( We`re here,over here,this way,help,save us!!

Eamonn

I share your sentiments completely; it seems utterly daft that in this nation that we live in has such a huge proportion of the population living in the SOUTH, overcrowded roads, people living cheek by jowl with their neighbours. Interesting fact is that over the last 30 years the average 3 bed house has been reduced by some 30% and that’s because they try to shoehorn more and more accommodation into the ever decreasing amount of building land available.

I think the government should do more, a lot more to encourage business to move their operations further north, I would even suggest that they encourage new business start-ups with tax breaks, not one’s that last a couple of years but for longer periods.

If we had a bigger spread of population then there would be more space, more space for fun, recreation and living.

I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Murray Mint

I'm quite happy living in the North (well Midlands really), I've got Nelly only five minutes from me, it takes 15 minutes for me to get to work and my two bedroom house with garden and garage only cost me £83,500.

I should point out that Eamonn's breakdown only list's PROPER paid up members-not these hangers on who only post on the board-if we counted them there would be over 2000 members..............:P

John

I personally would love to live up North - you guys have fantastic scenery, excellent roads, cheap houses and funny accents.

However, because of the industry I work in, there are no jobs in my field and I have to be where I am. I don't even live where I work as I can't afford that, so already I'm making comprimises!

Besides, if we were all to move North, you'd only start complaining that the roads were crowded, housing prices had gone up and the southerners had taken all your jobs!

The grass is always greener....

yeah, but isnt it all still gas lights, cobbled streets and workhouses?